Every dog should get the title of "Best Dog Ever," because to someone, they were.
It came to me one day in thinking about dogs of my heart's past, Ginger and Zach. Every memory I have of them ends with me thinking, They were the best dog...ever. Can all dogs be the best dog ever? Of course they can. They were the best dog ever, for that memory, at that time in your life.
They were the dogs that made your heart grow a little bigger each day with every kiss, lick and snuggle; break a little bit each time they got hurt; and tear completely apart the day you had to say good-bye.
Here are my Best Dogs Ever.
GINGER
I don't know if I have specific memories of Ginger, or if I've looked at pictures for so long that I've created memories around the pictures. I can't say that I have exact memories of things we did, but I have memories of feelings, of sights and of sounds. I know Ginger loved us. I remember feeling that she loved us. I know she wanted to play with us, to be with us - I know she also wanted my Cheerios. Ginger was a sister to Jason and I, never just a dog. She was our playmate, our buddy, and our partner in crime, although as many times as we tried to blame things we did on her, I don't think Mom ever believed us. Ginger was warm. She was warm in the way she was always right next to us, always taking care of us, always being there. My memory of her is that she kept us warm. She was the Best Dog Ever.
Here I am with Ginger. Mom used to play "Where's the baby?" with Ginger and put a towel over my head. Thankfully, Ginger found me every time.
Mom would put Cheerios in my crib, in the hopes that I would wake up, eat them, and go back to sleep, thus allowing Mom to sleep. Ginger made a good clean-up crew for lost Cheerios. Sometimes she would share, sometimes not. I know that Ginger sometimes went in my crib to be safe and away from me if I was bugging her too much.
You had to learn quick in the mean streets of home. Keep moving or get run over.
Strangely enough, I remember taking a lot of these types of pictures. Line up in front of the house and smile. Ginger was always good at smiling. I'm sure she kept us in line.
I don't know about my attitude in this shot, but Ginger looks happy to not have to walk anymore. I do remember her chain collar and her leather leash, and how I would hold it and memorize how to put the collar on Ginger the right way.
Same house, same kid, same dog, just a few years later. Ginger was always good for a free hug.
In the end, I do remember Ginger getting old. I remember her hair was falling out in certain spots, her skin was itchy, and she groaned when she walked or had to sit or get up. I remember being very-oh-so-sad when we came home from school one day and she wasn't there anymore. But sometimes, that is the price you pay for knowing the Best Dog Ever.
ZACH
What Ginger had in warmth, in love, in mothering us, Zach had in being cool. Zach was cool. He was carefree, relaxed, happy to just sit and hang out and just be. He was also half-horse. While he tipped the scales at over 100 pounds, he never seemed too big. He was a lap dog through and through. He was a snuggler, a leaner, a hugger, a holder, a teddy bear who wanted to be right next to you. He didn't bother chasing balls or catching frisbees. He was too cool for that.
He could rest his chin on the dinner table to see what we were eating, but then never try to take your food - okay, except the one time he put his elbows on the counter and stole an entire meatloaf (or was it a roast chicken?) right off the counter. He sat there and ate as fast as he could while Mom came running from the other room, yelling his name the whole time. He knew he was going to be in trouble, but he also knew he could get a few mouthfuls of food before she got there. I swear he was laughing when Mom finally got to him.
Zach was great on a walk, fun to take to the park, and an excellent partner for hide and seek, and he loved to take rides in the back of the truck, especially if we went through a drive-thru for snacks. He loved to go to the softball field and just sit and watch the girls play ball. He was a true partner in crime with us and a brother in our family. Sometimes he would sleep with me on my twin bed, and get himself between me and the wall, and stretch. By morning, I was sleeping on the very inch edge of the bed, and he would be stretched out, head on the pillow. He was the dog whose tail would wag before his eyes opened, because he was happy to wake up and see you. Zach was also an opportunist. Anytime Jason or I had the flu and slept in the hallway next to the bathroom, Zach would lovingly sleep out there with us, and get up every time we had to get up. The catch was that by the time you crawled back to your bed in the hallway, Zach had commandeered your pillow for himself. He would lay his head on it and look at us as if to say, "What? You weren't using it."
Zach was very good at smiling. If he could be next to you, then he was happy.
Zach had a bark that could scare anyone, but rarely did he use it. When he did, you could be sure there was a really good reason for him to get upset, either that or there was a squirrel in his tree again.
Zach was a handsome boy. He was a lovie-dog who would walk over to you sitting on the couch and put his paw up on your knee just to say hi. Then he would lean on your leg and just exhale, whooooo, as if now his day was complete.
As the years went by, Zach's story ended the way many dog books do. He got older, he got slower, his groaning got louder, his eyesight got worse, his hind legs started to give out, and he started to sleep all the time. But you could tell he was still there, he was still in there. You could wake him up from his nap, watch his eyes focus on you, see his nose sniff as his brain figured out who you were, and then his tail would wag. He was always happy to be next to you. Zach was the Best Dog Ever.
TOBY
Toby is the first dog we've raised and trained as adults ourselves. I take no credit whatsoever for Ginger, as Mom trained her before Jason or I even existed, and then in turn, Ginger trained us. With Zach, we grew up with him, and Mom raised and trained the three of us all together. I feel like Mom trained us along with Zach, and in doing so, trained us to be good dogs too. Good dogs who know how to play well with our future dogs.
With Toby...Toby took a house that Kyle and I lived in and turned it into a home; albeit an upside down home with kisses on top and muddy paw prints everywhere, but a home just the same. He is our snuggle-monkey, our handsome boy and our blanket stealer. I'd like to think that we grow as he grows, and we learn as he learns, we ache when we he aches, and all in all, he makes us better human beings.
When we first adopted Toby, he was a fuzzy love muffin. He would curl up in your arm or your lap or in the crook of your neck and cuddle up and go to sleep.
The picture on the left is Toby's first day in his car seat back in February (4 mos old). He was so excited to be outside in a car seat and in the car - he couldn't contain himself. We rode around town and he had that same look on his face all afternoon. Pure joy! Fast forward to September (11 mos old), and now he is a distinguished gentleman going for a ride in his coach. Sometimes we think he is British. Check out how much taller he is and how much higher his chest is out of the seat.
This is Toby's famous "I didn't do it" face. Usually this face appears when he is chewing on something and we call his name, then we get this look.
This was the first warm day after a snowy winter. He was so happy to just be outside, and so happy that we found tennis balls his mouth could hold.
Toby is a dog about town, here with his first trip to a coffee shop.
Toby also likes to help with the laundry. I gave him his own sock to hold so I could fold the rest of the laundry in peace and quiet. He's very fashionable.
I think this is one of my favorite shots of Toby. He is so happy just sitting in the car going for a ride. It's his favorite thing to do. He looks out the window and watches the world go by. He has been known to bark at a few passersby, but I'm sure it was more for their outfit. He seems to bark at people in bad outfits.
Toby is not just a dog, he is part of our family. We talk to him, and he talks back to us, and sometimes he even gives us a little attitude. I swear he understands what I'm saying and every now and then I catch him watching TV. Toby is a lover, a hugger, a kisser. It's as if his daily goal is to give kisses to as many people as possible. He also likes other dogs. He's weary of the big ones, but still wants to be their friend. He knows the difference between babies/children and adults, and always heads straight to the children to say hi first.
He is my fuzzy monkey, my little guy, my punkin. He is the Best Dog Ever.
"It came to me, that every time I lose a dog
they take a piece of my heart with them,
and every new dog who comes into my life
gifts me with a piece of their heart.
If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog,
and I will become as generous and loving as they are."
- Anonymous
...I can only hope...Until next time, take care.
Mandi, Kyle, and Toby
